ATA Carnets

The world of business without borders - АТА Carnet

Do you want to win new markets?

In that case, it’s necessary the samples of your products to be temporary taken abroad for presentation in front of your potential buyers or to be exhibited at fairs and exhibitions. What you really need then is a simple transit through state borders, duty free without special guarantees, which the ATA Carnet can provide.

What is an ATA Carnet?

The ATA Carnet is a simple international customs document which is used to simplify the temporary importation in the foreign country, with one year’s validity.

See the ATA Carnet first page (.PDF),

АТА Carnet General List (.PDF)

The initials “АТА “are an acronym of the French and English words “Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission”, which means temporary import .

What are the advantages of the ATA Carnet?

- Simplifying the customs procedure by using of unified document for all the customs transactions (temporary import, re-export and re-import). - Payment of duty and other contributions, taxes or placing deposit, which is ordinary in temporary import in some countries, becomes unnecessary. - Validity of the ATA Carnet for one year enables the carnet to be used several times for contemporary import to one or more of the member countries of the ATA chain. - For customs offices the use of the ATA Carnet entails less administrative work and increased customs safety since the payment of import duties and taxes is guarantied by the guaranteeing association, if the good is re-exported.

UNITED KINGDOM (GB) London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LondonUNITED STATES (US) United States Council for International Business, New York

Who can use an ATA Carnet?

Small and large enterprises, individuals – all can be the users of the ATA Carnet, which is especially dedicated for sales executives, fair exhibitors, commercial agents and businessmen who wish to expand their markets, to upgrade their business contact and to increase the foreign markets competitiveness presenting their samples, using professional and scientific equipment, books, etc.

ATA Carnets are available to architects, surgeons, engineers, painters, musicians, artists, cynologists, horse breeders, and many others. In almost thirty years of implementation the ATA Carnets demonstrate to be the unavoidable instrument for saving time and money.

Goods for which ATA Carnets can be used ATA Carnet can be used practically for all goods intended for personal or professional use, especially of commercial samples of value, professional equipment, goods for presentation at fairs and exhibitions.

Under ATA Carnet can not be imported goods which are perishable, or goods intended for transformation, processing or repair. Temporary admission under cover of ATA Carnets applies to goods which will be re-exported in the same state in which they were imported.

How does ATA Carnet work?

The ATA Carnet is made up of front cover (green color) and two internal sheets for each single operation (temporary export, transit, temporary import, re-export and re-import). Inside sheets are with different color, depending on the operation referred, and consist of two portions, out of which the upper/top portion (counterfoil) always remains within the carnet, while the lower/bottom (voucher) is torn off during the customs procedure.

Composition of the carnet, respectively the needed number of sheets in different colors, depend on the carnet holder’s request, or according to the required journey, the number of countries which will be visited or transit though.

How to get an ATA Carnet? Carnets are issued exclusively by chambers of commerce, affiliated to the ATA international guarantee chain within the International Bureau of Chambers of Commerce (IBCC) in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, which includes more than 50 countries from Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

In the Republic of Macedonia the ATA Carnets are issued and verified by the Economic Chamber of Macedonia which from July 1st, 1998 has become the 54th member of the international guarantee chain established on the basis of ATA Carnets in the International Bureau of Chambers of Commerce in Paris.

After submitting the request, the carnet is verified and issued in the period of few days, with minimal costs and formalities.

Written information about the ATA Carnets, forms for request for issuing carnets, instructions for fulfilling the carnets, can be provided in the Professional Office within the Economic Chamber of Macedonia.

ATA Carnet saves time and money therefore you should obey its rules of use! Examine carefully the statement at the back of the Request for carnet issuing. - Temporary admission under cover of ATA Carnets applies to goods which will be re-exported in the same state in which they were imported. - In every entering and exiting of some country the carnet holder should take care the customs officers to put all the necessary data and the carnet to be verified with signature and seal on relevant places on the inside sheets. - It is necessary to obey the terms for re-export and completion of the transit, which is determined by the custom authorities of particular countries. Those terms are not the same with the carnets validity.

- Carnets which are no more in use, or their validity is expired, must be returned to the issuing Economic Chamber of Macedonia, with all used and unused sheets.